Ghana knocks Nigeria out of CHAN

Ghana's home-based Black Stars on Sunday kicked their Nigerian counterparts, the Super Eagles, out of next year's inaugural African Nations Championship with a goalless second leg encounter in Calabar on Sunday.

The Stars qualified on a 3:2 first leg aggregate played in Accra two weeks ago.

Coach Milovan Rajevac and his boys on Sunday sustained an early onslaught from the home side, buoyed by a vociferous home crowd, and had to marshal a defensive strategy that appeared to frustrate the Nigerians throughout the game.

The Nigeirans were sporadic in pursuit of goals, appeared complacent goals would come their way no matter how they lousily they pressed. Indeed from close range, they blasted into the heavens good opportunities to score, unlike a fortniht earlier when discipline in front of goal saw them race into a 2:0 lead in Accra before being undone.

The Confederation of African Football will on December 26 hold the draw of lots for the maiden competition to be hosted by the Ivory Coast from February 22 to March 8, 2009.

Libya, Tanzania, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Congo and Zambia and host Ivory Coast have all qualified for the tournament.

Ghana line-up: Philemon McCarthy, Samuel Inkoom, Habib Mohammed, Ofosu Appiah, Godfred Yeboah, Daniel Yeboah, Jordan Opoku, Edmund Owusu-Peprah/Osei Bonsu, Yaw Antwi/Richard Atika, Agyemang Badu, Francis Coffie/Kojo Poku.

Story by Isaac Yeboah